Trancing the Tiger (Chinese Zodiac Romance Series Book 1) (3 page)

She bit her lip and stared at his hand, then tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear before reaching forward.

Her ear.

Her
pointed, furry
ear.

His breath whistled in and he jerked his hand back before it made contact with hers. The animal’s form had cloaked Lucy for the briefest of moments, but it had been enough.

The Rabbit.

The fucking
Rabbit
.

Tiger growled low and deep, and Sheng didn’t bother masking the spear of disappointment lancing through him.

She wasn’t the one.

***

Lucy reared back as Sheng
growled
at her.

Seriously, what kind of person growled at someone?

The warning of
dangerous as hell
resounded in her mind as the bark of the tree behind her scraped her back.

His eyes glinted. Like a cat in the dark. Except it wasn’t dark, and he wasn’t a feline.

Her heart jumped and her throat constricted while he eyed her, a grimace curling his lip. The object in his hand cracked as he squeezed his fist. A second later, he opened his fingers and the black plastic dropped to the ground. His mirrored shades? Snapped in half as if he’d imagined her neck?

He took one step toward her.

Flight wins.

She dashed for the path. Her bare feet smacked the warm stones as she fled straight back into her apartment. Slamming the doors, she locked them and flung the switch to shut the curtains, peeking out to make sure he hadn’t followed her.

Great. Bodyguard or not, her new neighbor was sexy
and
insane.

This whole scheme suddenly felt like the worst idea in the world. Her heart panged for home.
Mom and Dad.

Dad hadn’t wavered in the least the last night they’d spent together.

I hope one day you can understand this kind of love.

She didn’t. Her parents had always been affectionate, but she’d never fathomed the depth of their devotion to each other until the day her mother’s skin had blistered.

And then her father had willingly infected himself.

Stamping down the ache in her chest, she grabbed her purse and shoes, crept to the apartment door, and peered through the peephole.
Quiet.

She refused to stay here, speculating when her growling neighbor would try to break in and slit her throat.

Rays of afternoon daylight broke through the clouds, so she would probably be safer outside. Lost in a crowd, she could buy some time to figure out what to do.

Besides, after three months in quarantine, the last thing she sought was to burrow inside. She missed being surrounded by other people. Missed the smallest of freedoms she’d taken for granted.

Did her uncle realize how psycho this man was? Was she the topic of their harsh conversation earlier? She should go straight to Xiaodan, but doing so would play right into his perception of her as a weak female in need of masculine protection.

Instead, she straightened her spine, padded into the hallway, and slipped inside the elevator, heading down.

She’d been through hell this past year. Before the quarantine, she’d helped her parents fend off more than one intruder.

I’m not a victim.

She’d taken lessons in
wǔshù
—a form of Chinese martial arts—since she was six. She might not look strong, but she could break someone’s arm.

Or that strong, sexy nose.

Then her neighbor might reconsider intimidating her.

Damn. As she rushed onto the street, she cursed herself for not standing up to him.

Her uncle’s condo lay smack in the center of the busy downtown area, right on the waterfront, so being enveloped by a throng of people wouldn’t be an issue. Vigilant of muggers, she hugged her purse to her side as she ambled through the crowds. Once or twice, she glanced over her shoulder, searching the endless faces for the one who might be following her.

For those glinting eyes.

After about a mile of speed walking, she veered to the side, pressed her back against a brick wall, and dug around in her purse for her phone. The faint memory of her father’s voice, recanting childhood stories about this city, passed through her mind. He’d always spoken fondly of a park. What was its name?

She chewed her bottom lip while scanning the map on her phone. Her dad claimed monkeys roamed free in the park, “reading” newspapers and snatching watches off tourists. Sounded a hell of a lot more fun than wandering aimlessly.

Ah, yes. The Penang Botanic Gardens. They weren’t too far away, either.

With a game plan in mind, she stuffed her phone back into her purse and hailed a taxi. One pulled to the curb beside her and she hopped inside, giving the driver her destination. As the taxi swerved off, the tips of her ears prickled. She sat straighter and directed her gaze ahead.

The sixth sense she’d never been able to explain to anyone—and hence had stopped trying—had been tripped. She’d bet her last dollar Sheng had followed her, earning him the new title of
stalker
.

Her friends had never understood why she would rather avoid conflict than stand up for herself. Her deep-rooted survival instinct was all she had, all that kept her strong. Running away wasn’t necessarily a weakness. Sometimes, it was the best defense.

Most wars were won on strategy, not strength. Brains, not brawn.

Her parents had insisted she take
wŭshù
classes, hopeful she’d gain some confidence. But she was confident…in her ability to run and hide.

As a kid, no one had ever been able to locate her during a game of Hide and Seek. Before the quarantine, when intruders had seized upon her home, she’d already made preparations, ensuring there wasn’t anything of value for them to find and steal.

Her family had hidden in the den she’d carved out beneath their house. It might not have been glorious, but she’d defended them. They’d survived—that day, at least.

Huffing, she settled on a plan of action. First, she withdrew her phone and studied the layout of the Gardens. A circular maze.
Perfect.

Next, she’d have to throw him off her trail. A predator never anticipated his prey would track
him
.

She smiled as she paid the driver and shuffled out of the taxi, swallowed once again by the lineup of patrons awaiting admittance to the Gardens.

Her ears twitched.
Near.

Pretending to fumble through her purse, she stole glimpses from the corners of her eyes. No one left. No one right.

The purse slipped from her fingers. It crumpled onto the ground and she gasped, crouching as if embarrassed while shoving the contents back inside. In reality, she scanned the crowd behind her. Her instincts took over as she scoured each face for any sign of hostility.

A mother with two fussing children.
Nope.

An elderly couple holding hands.
Definitely not.

What appeared to be a group of school children, dressed in matching blue and white uniforms caught her attention. Wait. Something lurked behind the herd of kids.

Scratch that. Some
one
.

And not the person she’d been anticipating.

Three twenty-something guys scanned the crowd. Each sported spiked, short black hair and Chinese characters tattooed across the right half of their faces and down their necks. They wore dark leather jackets and pants, even in this heat. The three men were attractive in the same
dangerous-as-hell
fashion as her neighbor.

Friends of his? Man, she hoped not.

Her stomach tightened as she adjusted her plan. She’d anticipated losing Sheng in the maze of the Gardens, throwing him off her scent or confronting him in a crowd.

One stalker she could handle, but four?

The man in the middle set his sights on her before shoving through the throng of people to speak with the person inside the ticket booth. The resolve in the firm set of his jaw declared he meant business, and the authority he wielded precluded her seeking help from any of the guards.

Her heart rate accelerated, her gaze darting to the advancing line in front of her. She scooped up her purse and crammed everything inside. A glance over her shoulder confirmed the taxi had taken off.

The other two men closed in on her from both sides, blocking any path other than the one straight ahead. Through the gates.

Cornered, she gritted her teeth. Her chance at survival lay inside the Gardens. She bolted to the gates and past the guard who waved people away, declaring the Gardens were closing early.

Ignoring his shouting, she sprinted into the maze. The heavy thudding of three sets of footsteps echoed behind her.

***

Sheng pounded on Xiaodan’s door. “Yeoh!” he shouted, hostility icing his tone. All these years, the man had leeched off them, off his
Kongsi
—the Hai San Secret Society—and the Council of Elders. Xiaodan’s ties to the Dragon secured him a privileged position in their ranks.

He’d bloody lied. Asshole.

When no one answered, Sheng slammed an open palm against the door, huffing his frustration.
Run and hide, old man.
There’d be hell to pay whenever Sheng caught him.

His cell phone vibrated in the pocket of his leather jacket, but he ignored it. Tiger hunched in the corner of its cage, brooding. The Rabbit. The fucking Rabbit.

Could be worse. She could be incompatible with you.

The consolation did little to soothe him. Mei, Fang, and Kassian were useful additions to his circle, but they weren’t going to lead anyone anywhere.

The Dragon would have.

He’d waited so long to find the Dragon again. Years ago, he’d encountered the spirit in an alley. Its host had claimed the warrior spirit animal didn’t belong to him. Sheng had called him out on his bullshit, but the man told him to wait for Dragon’s next host. Fucking suicidal asshole. Dragon’s host had chosen to
die
rather than team up with Sheng. The blow to his ego still stung. Even worse, Tiger had needed Dragon then. The yearning for their co-leader continued to fester over the years, the desperation eating away at Tiger’s self-worth. Dragon had abandoned them.
Why?

As the host of the Tiger, the weight of leading his
Kongsi
fell onto Sheng’s shoulders. Some days, it bloody choked the air from his lungs. Who was he, a street rat, to assume such a privileged position?

He rolled his tense shoulders, steeling himself to bear the responsibility a while longer. Rabbit. He snorted. He’d have settled for the noble Hound or even the Sheep. His fists balled at his sides as he stared at the closed door. Emperor help him, if Snake encountered those two spirit animals first. If Snake claimed their loyalty, Sheng’s
Kongsi
would be royally screwed.

Still, Lucy was what Lucy was. Regardless of his disappointment, she might be of use to them.

Hell, he could always use her as bait.

His phone rang again and, this time, he answered.

“Li?” Mei’s voice penetrated his musings.

“Not right now,” he grumbled, and was about to hang up, when she interjected.

“You should come downstairs. Like, now. She’s gone.”

Dammit. He hadn’t meant to spook her, but he also hadn’t figured her for the fleeing type. He hung up, a spike of annoyance racing through his veins. The last thing he looked forward to was facing the others. He’d hoped to bring them a new leader. Instead, it seemed they’d be hunting down their weakest link.

He craned his neck as he exited the lobby, directing his question to the trees. “Which way did she go?”

“To the Gardens.” Mei swung down from a massive teak tree. Monkey flared out once in greeting to Tiger. Its blue face and golden fur cloaked Mei’s form like a hologram tipping forward. She grudgingly stuck her cell phone into her pocket and accepted his brief kiss on the top of her head. “Kassian and Fang are on her trail, but they’re not the only ones.”

The hairs bristled on the back of Sheng’s neck. Shit. Why the fuck did she go to the Gardens at this time of day? It would be dark soon, and the city was no place for a woman at night, especially not a vulnerable creature like her. Even more, the Gardens were the worst possible destination she could have chosen. He whipped out his phone again and dialed their collective number.

“Kassian, Fang,” he growled into his phone. “You got her?”

Silence persisted. He frowned and exchanged a frustrated look with Mei.

She shook her head, her long, dark ponytail sweeping side to side.

This was bad. Why the hell had he ever let Lucy out of his sight?

Without waiting for his command, Mei leapt onto a branch. She was much faster swinging through the trees than running on land.

Speed wasn’t an issue for him when cloaked by Tiger, yet he needed a ride back for when he chased down Lucy, so he swung his leg over his motorcycle and tore off after Mei.

He half-tracked her as they veered away from the crowded streets, northwest, into the edge of the urban sprawl. They ate up the distance, quickening their pace against the setting sun.

Night was when the demons came out. The real ones…and the human scum Snake took under his wing. They weren’t Chosen or devout, not that the Ghee Hin
Kongsi
cared.

So long as they paid their dues and signed their contracts in blood.

Not always their own.

He couldn’t prove a damn thing, yet the black rituals they practiced had to demand sacrifices, didn’t they? Just another grievance Sheng’s
Kongsi
, the Hai San, counted against those bastards, the Ghee Hin. The two Secret Societies had been rivals since their inception in the nineteenth century. Only the Council of Elders prevented them from annihilating one another.

At the thought of Lucy in danger, he revved his bike and sped down the street to the Gardens. Outside the gates, Kassian met them. “Sorry, mate. I told him to wait, but Fang went inside.”

“Sonofabitch.” Tiger growled, pacing within him until Sheng caged it in. The Gardens were Ghee Hin territory and strictly forbidden to his
Kongsi
. Fang would be lucky if they didn’t execute him on sight.